It’s a three-day weekend for me. I took the day off. Sarah is going to help me put together my new computer desk. That would be because I know which end of a screwdriver to hold, and how to turn it, but I am utterly useless at knowing which piece fits into which when putting something together.
And yet, QUIT gays support the Palestinians: An Israeli teacher is getting a sex change and sent a letter to his students that he would be teaching them as a woman in the upcoming semester. Imagine that happening in any other nation in the Middle East. Wait, there is at least one Muslim nation that allows sex changes, but I can’t remember which. Homosexuality, though, is illegal in all of them.
Shut up, you anti-Arab racist: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman points out that Palestinian incitement continues. (So does Palestine Media Watch, but the media like to ignore PMW reports or whitewash or downplay them.) He discusses about the upcoming peace talks and will most likely be slammed for being an obstacle to peace or something.
Are you effing kidding me? The Obama administration is going to push Israel to sign an agreement now, and worry about the details later. Shyeah, because that will work. Sort of like the Road Map, which was forced down Israel’s throat. Or forcing Israel to freeze settlement building to get the Palestinians to direct talks—gee, that only took ten months.
This time, Obama plans to get into the thick of things himself. Daniel Shapiro, the National Security Council’s top Middle East expert, told the leaders of the American Jewish organizations that the president planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the coming year.
During his visit, Obama will try to convince the two sides to support painful concessions for the sake of peace.
Really? “Painful concessions” for both sides? What concessions will the Palestinians make? Giving up their long-held dream of flooding Israel with “refugees” who are actually third-generation citizens of other nations? Stopping the daily hatred and incitement? Or perhaps giving up the handouts the leadership uses to feather its nests? And hey, what about Gaza? How does that figure into the formula? Is the Palestinian state going to be only on the West Bank?
Can you imagine the crowds waiting in Israel to boo Obama? Does this man’s ego know no bounds? He thinks that his personal touch will solve the problem of Palestinian intransigence and the Arab world’s refusal to normalize relations with Israel? For an excellent analysis of why the peace talks will fail, read Barry Rubin post. Or better still, someone should send it to the president. Tell him to save the effort and just visit Israel for the hell of it.
If you look and the things that Obama has directly “put his hands in” since he came to office, you will see that not a single thing (other than his health care agenda, which is steadily showing signs of destruction) has succeeded.
He pushed for the Olympics in Chicago:Fail
He stood behind the democratic candidate in one of the most blue collar states in America: Fail (Brown got elected)
I get this feeling that even if the odds weren’t so staked against him, with regards to success in the peace process, he would fail miserably.
One thing I can say for sure, I wouldn’t ask him to buy my lottery ticket. This guy is the worst luck charm anybody could have.
Since…oh, let’s start with after the first war in Lebanon, 1982, precisely what actual concessions have the Palestinians made? Seriously. They were asked to tone down the incitement once or twice but not only have they failed to do so but no one is monitoring it or bringing it up. Other than that, have they even been pressed to offer something material?
It’s not hard to see why neither the PA nor Hamas are making or even much pretending to make any noises about accepting Israel’s continuing presence. I think the main reasons are two: 1. They don’t want to; and 2) There’s no penalty when they won’t even pretend to. Palestinian intransigence and solidity is rewarded; there’s no logical reason why they would, or shoud, reconsider.